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♦ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2006 6A .qff ' n -- '.wT' ft * jiMUSBmm WHBv i J3HI E ititmWSmmmmJk 1 . Wzn. &r BpIF,/ Vp " tTT ''jjS mh[ flE&jpHgpr ' U WHMsMUr" BBBBBHK 8 8 JBBBHHBK '‘B3BS9BGBLII jmhhhhhrh fi* -aaffipba s ? iipi9El||§§£|£ ■ j fll •C / -:/s■. ’•>#*#' IF MRiIIMHIUWMUP i| ■M |§ mi • tat Jg\iai MiiflMWwßH From left, Tony Sellier, Beth Perera, Larry O’Neal, Scott Taylor, Willie Talton and Ron Bass. All are candidates for the Georgia House of Representatives. Journal Charlotte Perkins ISSUES From page iA costs and Medicaid costs. Rep. Larry O’Neal pre sented the current state administration’s tort reform legislation as one way that insurance and healthcare costs will be lowered. He also said he had co-spon sored legislation for indigent care clinics to be staffed with volunteer retired healthcare professionals, and described a proposed “multi-share” health insurance program which would divide insur ance premium costs. Beth Perera scoffed at the idea that tort reform had lowered costs for consum ers. “The insurance companies CONCERNS From page iA Cowart said he went out there after some complaints from residents and asked the real estate agents if the development was on city sewer or would be in the city and was told “no” it was on septic and would not be annexed. Cowart said he knew the lots were too small for sep tic tanks and there was a city sewer lift station for the development. “That land is buildable only with sewer,” Walker said of the land in the area of Bonaire Middle School and Wessex Drive. “The school HffFMWBMIIIiU m Ml M Mnwp mi rap mp m m m mu i mm m m m m >*M’m mm mm* vtm.mx mkm y# mm hum m m*m mm im turn mm m m mm im mm mmw m mm m m? km mm mm m m mm m mwi mm m am m m am m,m m amm mm mm m am m mm mim hum • Ml era* km wki m* m am wwimam se<sn«o mmmmm mtmm mm ivmvmm wmimm stntomsi ""PRICES GOOD AS OF SEPTEMBER 28, (*" S«* liitl "fMCBI GOOD WOE SfOTEMMRH, Mtt FOR IStTS CAN W VIEWED OVLISEAT tWW,fl)Wnsf£Wlfg UMTtCMKSeiNATWIMFIOCRM.C«9ITUNION,i(SyptSONSIVDPMmRCONS 'mMCHLimhWm.fXIM im'iuu.MMtiw&Mimti. HLmmm tLmmmmmmmmm wTHiewTH^TiioaTHPOMw^ExPREssa^wTB^wTHE won out big time,” she said, “not the consumers.” Perera pointed out that some of the areas largest retail employers “are lim iting the number of hours employees work” in order to avoid offering health insur ance. She suggested that net works of small businesses could provide insurance programs for their employ ees. Tony Sellier said he is “not a proponent of govern ment-run health care.” Sellier brought up the problem of Georgia’s short age of trauma centers for acute injuries, but took the approach that the state’s role would be to help with profit ability and reduce taxes. “A lot of businesses are going overseas because of the would have to close without city sewer.” “We are blessed to have quality services that people want,” Councilman Terry Horton added ... “water, sewer, police and fire. Being a resident is not a bad thing.” In other business not on the agenda Monday: ■ Cowart raised concerns about video gaming machines and game rooms set up in the back of local stores. He said there are lingerie and a knick-knack store he knows of with almost no merchan dise, but they have the video gambling machines in the back. He asked that the city ask about the machines before issuing business licenses. At tax burden,” Sellier said. O’Neal also emphasized the need for trauma centers, and for programs which would provide alternatives to emergency room visits. “The least efficient way to provide health care is to start in the emergency room,” he said. Scott Taylor, who is chal lenging O’Neal for the District 146 seat, talked about indigent care costs, and said, “There is no rea son our hospitals should be taking a $25 million a year loss.” He said, “We have a medi cal and moral imperative for all people to have health care,” and argued that the way to solve the indigent care problem is to “decrease the number of uninsured least 50 percent of the rev enue has to come from mer chandise sales to have the machine, he said. “I went to two of them,” Cowart said. “Both have nothing in them. Almost no merchandise on the shelves.” Walker added, “if they are gambling, although it’s ille gal in the state of Georgia. They have to have a fed eral gaming stamp available from the Post Office on the machine.” ■ The council also received updates on several ongoing projects including the new fire stations on Bernard and Lake Joy, the police sta tion on Lake Joy and the Wellborn Road widening. City Purchasing Agent LOCAL people.” Rep. Willie Talton said that one reason hospitals are losing money is that “We have a lot of illegal people.” “If these people (go to a hospital) they have to be seen,” he said. In regard to mental health services, there was a brief flare up from mem bers of the audience when the Republican candidates argued that there have been no “budget cuts” to area mental health. (Essentially, the disagreement comes from the state’s determina tion to allocate a specific percentage of funding to care for mentally ill children and teens, which has meant that there is less funding for adult mental health ser vices.) Mark Baker said the city is still working on acquiring rights of way along Wellborn Road, “We’ll have to move some fences abut we’ll try not to take out trees unless we have to,” he said. Signature p d Checking Balance Annual Percentage Yield* SI,OOO-4,999 4.01% $5,000-49,999 4.18% $50,000+ 4.62% No-Fee Cheeking with Interest*- Free Checks No Closing Costs Home Equity Lines of Credit Installment Loan Discounts And Much, Much More. m *m W % j m H Bank of Middle Georgia Member FDIC www.cbtbank.com 478-929-1004 Synovus A provider of Synovus Financial Services fc*y, (rt*te4 rmmlWy, .#4 p*l «i tt* Mm*. fa* «A*f*il** ■*•*•*». SlJ,ra a a* «SIS.P W«« fcpffewdHtlOC S2owwrtWymMmmmufatifMum m/wmemmt ml m*. 00038355 Discussion of mental health services and substance abuse services revolved around issues of providing long term care and rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration. Talton said, “I think the state is doing a pretty good job of addressing mental ill ness, and the government has some plans to feed more money into mental health.” Taylor, however, point ed out that according to a nationwide ranking by NAMI, Georgia got a grade of “D.” Bass spoke with some pas sion on the damage done by methamphetamines, and, while he urged longterm rehabilitation for addicts, said that the people who make and sell the drugs are “terrorists.” Baker said he was going leave it to Flint Energy to decide if they need the trees cut down, to relocate the power lines. Baker said the Police Department is waiting on furniture bids before it can HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL METH From page iA two weeks ago and also found $200,000 in cash in another recent traffic stop. Dykes estimated the value of the drugs at $50,000 with an estimat ed street value, “once the dealers break it down,” Dykes said, “of SIOO,OOO to $200,000.” The driver, Micah David Buchheit, 30, of Webster, Fla., is currently being held in the Houston County Jail without bond on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine, failure to maintain lane and the tint violation. Police are still investi gating where Buchheit was coming from and where he was going with the meth, Dykes said. And no cash was found during the search of Buchheit’s car. CONTEST From page iA payment and clearance fees.” Recipients are sup posed to deposit the check, then write one of their own and send it to cover the “administrative” costs of receiving their full win nings. “The plan these crooks have is that the consum er’s check will be cashed before they and their bank realize the fake check is worthless, ” Oxendine said. “MAG Mutual is as much a victim in this scam as consumers are.” move some operations into the Lake Joy station. The Fire Department will be mov ing old furniture from the stations it is closing down to the new sites, once they are ready, explained Fire Chief Robert Singletary.